Cannabis dosage is fairly easy to manage. A good method for determining your dose is to smoke a small amount (a quarter to two "hits"), wait 5-15 minutes, repeat as desired. The strength of cannabis products increased dramatically between 2000 and 2016. When considering waxes, oils, and other high potency extracts, always start smoking a tiny hit. For sensitive people, a mouth full of smoke from a high potency oil is enough to become confusingly stoned.

A single intake of smoke from a pipe, water pipe, or joint is generally called a hit. An average size hit from a pipe or water pipe weighs somewhere on the order of 1/20th of a gram. With reasonably high potency Cannabis buds, a small number of hits (1-3) is generally enough. The lower the potency the more hits people will need to achieve the desired effects.

Below is a chart with very approximate dosages for dry, smoked, high potency cannabis. These numbers will vary greatly depending on individual reaction, potency, and smoking method. Generally, brown leafy cannabis is not as strong as green, gold, purple sticky buds. There does exist "One Hit Shit" that can surprise even the veteran smoker with it's strength. Pay attention to your body's reaction when you first try a new type or a new smoking method, and be careful when introducing others to cannabis. Everyone reacts differently to different doses.

Note that tolerance to the effects of THC and CBD very strongly effect the experience, intensity, and duration of effects. Although many people new to oral cannabis products or THC have very strong reactions, those who use it daily, especially as part of managing chronic pain, can take doses that would leave others having terrifying panic attacks, heart racing, and extreme fear reactions.

NOTE: In cancer treatments, cannabis and THC are used primarily to treat and reduce symptoms from cancer and cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy. After some confusion, we wanted to note that the use of THC as a medicine during chemotherapy is not usually prescribed for any anti-cancer effect of cannabis itself. THC is prescribed in the US as an anti-nausea and appetite stimulating agent. In California and some other US states, THC and raw cannabis can legally be prescribed for any indication and there are reports of cannabinoids being prescribed as a direct anti-cancer agent. The research evidence does not yet support human use of cannabis as a direct anti-cancer medicine, though in vitro (in petri dishes) cannabinoids do show some positive medical effects. Some of the confusion in this area is that a great deal of research has been dedicated to showing cannabis causes cancer, however the research failed to validate that theory. One of the explanations for the lack of cancer-causing action of smoked cannabis is that cannabinoids have some anti-cancer effect on lung cells that reduce or block the cancerous effects of the heated chemicals in burned plant material.

Erowid's dosage information is a summary of data gathered from users, research, and other
resources and should not be construed as recommendations. Individuals can respond
differently to the same dosage. What is safe for one can be deadly for another.